Everything your customer or client knows about you is a direct result of input from their five senses. It’s what they see, hear, taste, smell, and touch that ultimately determines how much they love you. Research shows that it only takes seven seconds for your customers to utilize those five senses to make a first impression about you. Once that impression is created, it’s very, very hard to change it. If you think about it that makes “sense.” Seven seconds is hardly enough time to exchange names and greetings when you first meet someone which means first impressions can’t be just about the things that people hear. You’re not being judged by only the things you say. You’re being judged by the way you look, including your facial expressions, your body movement and gestures, and the overall way in which you carry yourself. That first impression is influenced by the way you smell (both the good smells and the bad, think about that overdose whiff of cologne or perfume) and if that seven seconds includes a handshake you could even incorporate the sense of touch. Add to that, additional factors about the environment. The cleanliness of your business, the lighting, the overhead music, and so much more. The way you introduce yourself to all the senses of your customer will lead them to decide if you are competent, trustworthy, and deserving of their time and their hard-earned dollars.

Since first impressions can be difficult to change, it behooves you to take into consideration every sensory element about you and your business that is communicating a message to your customer. Take a moment and do a quick audit of your business. Start outside. What does your parking lot communicate about you? How about your signage? If you have landscaping, is it neat, and in healthy condition, and free from rubbish. Often, the best maintained landscaping is ruined by plastic bags and paper cups. Look around at other aspects of the outside of your business before going inside.

When you’re ready to enter your business, take a quick look at your doors. Are they free from fingerprints? If your hours are posted in the window, are they the right hours? It’s often these little details that get overlooked by you but that make a significant statement of importance to your customers.

By now you get the idea. You need to evaluate every aspect of how you relate to the senses of your customer. Finally, don’t feel you have to do this alone. Engage the help and support of your staff. Ask them to review your business and give you feedback on what they notice. If you have a couple of good friends or relatives you may be able to solicit their input. It may cost you a cup of coffee or even lunch, but in the long run won’t it be worth it?

Ask the Right Questions

Have you ever noticed the seafood section of your local grocery store doesn’t smell fishy? In fact, why do you not smell ANYTHING in a grocery store, unless it’s the bakery section luring you to add the freshly baked breads and pastries to your shopping cart? Could it be that rather than leaving it up to chance, the store has made a conscious effort to deliver a sensory experience intended to delight its customers?

And it’s not just the local grocer who has discovered the importance of a sensory-aware environment. An entire branch of the real estate industry is dedicated to the sole purpose of creating the look and feel of the perfect residence. Known as home staging, trained professionals have mastered the art of making sure that every sight, sound, smell, and feel of the home contribute to a quicker sale. The placement and scent of every Glade plug-in is carefully considered and thought out. It’s an industry with its own conferences, training, and annual awards ensuring the latest cutting-edge application of a positive sensory experience for its clients.

The world is full of lessons in this area because every business has either thought about it or not. And some businesses do such a good job at it that you don’t even notice and pretty much take it for granted. For example, back at the local grocer, why doesn’t the fruit feel grimy when you touch it? People spend hours stacking and restacking fruit so it looks beautiful, fresh, and organized. Get it right, and studies show your careful attention to the sensory environment will benefit you with significant returns to the bottom line. Get it wrong, and you either remain just another indistinguishable enterprise or worse, you drive your customers away.

Creating what I call a “Sense-sational Customer Experience” takes practice at becoming aware of the types of stimuli, either good or bad, your customer encounters with each of their five senses. Often the problem for business owners is that you get lost in your own interpretation and perception of reality. It’s the old dilemma of not being able to see the forest for the trees. You have to ask yourself how are you transporting this person? Where are you taking them? What is the transformation you offer? Then take a moment and observe your business in the way your customer sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels and determine if your sensory inputs are congruent with those intentions.

Consider sharpening your awareness skills by asking the following questions everywhere you go. If you go to pay your insurance, ask the questions. Going out to dinner, ask the questions. You should even ask these questions on your next trip to the DMV.

Everywhere you go, ask:

• What do I see, good and bad? What do I not see, good and bad?
• What do I hear, good and bad? What do I not hear, good and bad?
• What do I smell, good and bad? What do I not smell, good and bad?
• What do I taste, good and bad? What do I not taste, good and bad?
• What do I feel, good and bad? What do I not feel, good and bad?

Asking these questions will sharpen your ability to recognize “Sense-sational Customer Experiences,” or the lack thereof, and lead you to identify factors you should implement in your own business since you can be pretty sure that when you can sense it your customer can sense it too.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine